Cong 'exploited' the country for 10 years: V K Singh

Attacking the United Progressive Alliance government, under which he served as the army chief, Bharatiya Janata Party candidate V K Singh on Friday said the Manmohan Singh dispensation has "exploited" the country for the past 10 years and there were more "scams" than work.

Singh, who served between March 2010 to May 2012 during which he had a major showdown with the government over the issue of his retirement age, further alleged that development of the nation has been stalled and it has been moving in downward direction during Congress rule.

Asked about his victory chances, Singh told PTI: "I don't speculate. I am here to win the hearts and minds of the people and their confidence. It is for you to see whether I am winning that (confidence) or not."

Holding the Congress-led UPA government responsible for pushing the country back, Singh said, "They are sucking the country for the last 10 years. The progress of the nation has been stalled and it has been moving in downward direction. Look at any area and ministry and it is decelerating."

"There are more scams in the UPA-led government and less work. We should change this for development," he said.

Singh is contesting against Congress' Raj Babbar and Aam Aadmi Party's Shazia Ilmi in the constituency, which was won by BJP President Rajnath Singh in 2009 defeating Congress' Surendra Prakash Goyal.

The constituency, which has an even urban and rural mix, has voters totalling 23.55 lakh.

Locals often blame the perennial absence of the current BJP president for the "sorry" state of affairs in the area.

"This area requires a holistic plan to address various issues and we will tackle them as we come to it," the former army chief said.